British Academy Writing Workshop (Global Challenges Research Fund)

The British Academy, as part of the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), is inviting proposals for writing workshops in developing countries. These workshops should aim to support early career academics, promote the uptake of research emanating from developing countries in international journals and further intellectual interaction globally.

The intention of the Writing Workshops is to cultivate professional networks and mentorship and provide access for early career researchers in developing countries to the academic requirements of journals, including international journals, and to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to publish in these journals. This will support the progression of their academic careers and promote the visibility of their research in international publications.

Whilst the focus cannot be on intellectual disability specifically, it may be writing for publication in this area. My intention is to apply for funds to develop and deliver a workshop over 4 or 5 consecutive days in 2020 for early career academics working in the field of intellectual disability in Zambia. The sessions will cover writing grant applications in this field of work (how to craft an application), writing for publication (what editors look for, responding to peer reviews etc) and I also plan to set up an online community of practice using a virtual classroom space on canvas for ongoing collaboration/mentoring and to review each others work. Attendees (possibly between 6-10 early career researchers) would be asked to send a draft of a piece of writing - likely an abstract, in advance of the workshop and will be expected to produce an article (with support) after it. We are keen that those attending writing a guest editorial in the Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities (JPPIDD) highlighting issues around development of ID research in Zambia/Southern Africa and we would like to make this part of the application - My collaborator in Australia is the editor and this has already been approved in principle. This way attendees see a direct output from the workshop.